Evaluation
of the DBSA Peer Support Certification Training Program

With the increasing
recognition of the value of mutual assistance and peer
support for recovery from mental illness, training and
certifying peer providers has become an important topic.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, along with
other experts in peer services , have developed a Peer
Specialist Certification Training Program. This Program
prepares individuals to work with their peers on self-directed
recovery and employment, with the ultimate goal of a meaningful
life in the community for all participants.

An evaluation
of this Peer Specialist Certification Training Program
was conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s
National Research and Training Center on Psychiatric
Disability. The evaluation found statistically significant
increases in participants’ knowledge about the mental
health system, supportive counseling skills, and peer-to-peer
service provision. In addition, participants in the training
program expressed high levels of satisfaction with the training,
and overwhelmingly agreed that they would recommend it to
others. Find out more about this training program and how
it was evaluated.